Drug overdoses claim four Pembroke lives in two weeks

Pembroke police said there were three fatal overdoses in town, and another fatal overdose of a Pembroke resident in another town, over the last two weeks of January,.

Pembroke Police Lt. David Clauss said he believes a bad batch of fentanyl, an opiod pain medication often used in place of heroin, could be responsible for the overdose deaths, but is unsure.

Local police departments, including Pembroke, have banded together to form Project Outreach, which is designed to help those who have overdosed find a path to sobriety.

Clauss and Pembroke Police Chief Richard Wall have worked closely with the program since its inception.

“We need to work with these people before it’s too late,” said Clauss. “We need to help people before arresting them so they can lead clean lives. There was a judge that ordered commitment recently for someone who overdosed twice in one night. These are the people that we need to help.”

While Project Outreach is working on getting people off drugs, Claus said Pembroke detectives are working to stop drugs from entering Pembroke. Clauss said that all police officers have to be vigilant to stop drugs from entering the community.

"It's a public health issue," said Wall. "We can't arrest away the problem. We are here to protect and serve the public. It helps to know that we care."

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Vermont is the only state in the northeast that did not have a significant fatal overdose increase from 2014 to 2015. Massachusetts had a 35.3 percent increase from 2014 to 2015. Rhode Island and New Hampshire ranked in the top five for the highest rates of death due to drug overdoses with 28.2 fatal overdoses per 100,000 people and 34.3 per 100,000, respectively.

West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio rounded out the other three states, with 41.5 per 100,000, 29.9 per 100,000, and 29.9 per 100,000, respectively.

Currently, the drop-in center for Project Outreach is hosted by Pastor Neil Eaton at the New Hope Chapel located at 89 Court St., Plymouth. The next dates for meetings are Tuesday, Feb. 7 and Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 5 to 9 p.m.

The meetings are not just for those looking to get clean, as many friends and family members of addicts are attending the meetings without the addicts being present.

There is the possibility for moving the location from time to time, but no plans for that are concrete just yet. Claus said many people feel more comfortable going to meetings if they are not in their hometown.